Gov. Lynch, National Guard Announce State Effort To Welcome Home Guard and Reserve Members

Gov. Lynch, National Guard Announce State Effort To Welcome Home Guard and Reserve Members

Gov. John Lynch and Adjutant General Kenneth Clark today announced plans for a coordinated state effort to help smooth the transition for National Guard and Reserve members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"In the next several months, we will gratefully welcome home more than 800 National Guard members who have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We owe these men and women a large debt. They have sacrificed to serve our country. Now it is our turn to be there for them," Gov. Lynch said.

"We know that they will face challenges in re-adjusting. As a state government, and as citizens, we should be there to help make the transition as smooth as possible for our National Guard members and their families," Gov. Lynch said. "I'm proud that New Hampshire state agencies have joined together to help provide services to these brave men and women and their families."

Many state agencies have joined together to create "Operation Welcome Home," to help provide services - from helping members of the National Guard and Reserves find new apartments, to providing support to their children, to helping members find jobs if necessary.

"Our number one priority is taking care of our National Guardsmen when they return home," Gen. Clark said. "Their reintegration brings significant challenges and we are grateful to have the support of the different state agencies. It will take a community effort and we are working hard to ensure our programs are in place to support the families and employers."

State Agency efforts for Operation Welcome Home include:

Department of Health and Human Services: Provide support to families and youth; help find temporary accommodations for service members who may have given up their apartments; conduct statewide outreach and training to primary physicians, clergy, educators, employers, and local police that will focus on how to support soldiers as they return; and develop a statewide resource guide for services members.

Department of Education: Work with the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct outreach to school principals and counselors to provide support for the children of returning armed services members.

Department of Safety: Help orchestrate outreach to law enforcement; provide support if necessary through their behavioral health team; participate in the Guard family re-entry briefings that will be conducted throughout the state.

Department of Corrections: The Department, which has 40 soldiers returning, is building a model program for employee re-entry; provide statewide outreach to employers and human services professionals.

Department of Labor: Brief soldiers and employers on the re-employment rights of members of the Guard and Reserves.

Department of Employment Security: Provide job search counselors to members of the Guard and Reserve.

State Employee Assistance Program: Assist in outreach to employers and human resources professionals.

Red Cross: Provide day care services for all re-entry processing; participate in community outreach.

http://www.nh.gov/governor/news/012505guard.htm